Cabrillo Boat Shop avoids closure

LONG BEACH — What was once (almost) lost has been found again. Cabrillo Boat Shop in the Port of Long Beach was on the verge of shutting down a few months ago. Today the boatyard remains in business.

The Log reported in December 2015 about the potential closure of Cabrillo Boat Shop because its landlord, Tesoro Oil Co., did not renew the boatyard’s water rights adjacent to where the boat service company was located. The lease was set to expire in February.

Donald Holland of Cabrillo Boat Shop said Curtin Maritime, the new owner of the water rights in front of the boatyard, agreed to let the company stay in business. Boaters can continue to access Cabrillo Boat Shop at 1500 Pier C Street in Long Beach; the boatyard has been there since 1998.

“Tesoro Oil Co. took the lease away from my landlord and gave it to a marine construction company. Since [then] I have been informed that I will be allowed to access the water and remain in business,” Holland said.

Holland said he was prepared to move and find a way to keep his boatyard in business somewhere else. He had been forced to move before and managed to find a place to operate at Pier C Street.

Cabrillo Boat Shop needed to maintain its waterside lease in order to lift boats from the water.

Saving Cabrillo Boat Shop means recreational boaters in Long Beach, Wilmington and San Pedro will have access to a 30-ton Travelift. Holland told The Log in December 2015 had his boatyard been shut down then recreational boaters would have only had access to a yard with a 6-ton lifting capacity. Boater requiring a larger Travelift could have faced the prospects of navigating 3 hours each way.

An estimated 400 boaters patronize the haulout venue annually to have their respective vessels lifted for bottom paints and other boatyard services.

“Many people believe that we have closed our doors,” Holland said in an email of how events have transpired since The Log’s coverage of his business’s potential closure.

Holland noted a representative with Curtin Maritime worked with him to ensure the shop remained in business because their fathers were friends many years ago.

“We are in business and will remain in business in the foreseeable future,” he added.